Shadows in the Forest
by SecretForKeeps
Summary: When the Rockman.exe gang decide to go on a camping trip they don't prepare themselves for the horror they are about to find. Their happy camping trip becomes a race for their survival... Slightly AU, please read and review! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
1. Chapter 1

A dark green van was driving along a road that was surrounded by trees on both sides. Few people lived here, in the dense woods that were so prone to rain and fog. As it were, the car was currently surrounded by light mist. Inside the car, the passengers stared dully out at the dreary scenery.

Riding shotgun was a boy with chocolate brown hair. He was currently looking at a map. Behind him, a pink haired girl leaned forward. She cracked her gum and said, "Hey, Netto, how much further?"

Netto tilted the map slightly to get a better perspective. "It's, uh…"

"Just over thirty miles," answered a voice from his pocket.

"Right. Just over thirty miles, Meiru," he aswered.

Meiru leaned back in her seat and glanced at her two friends beside her. Tohru and Yaito were fast asleep, leaning on one another, and Dekao, who was sitting in the back due to his huge bulk, was playing a game on his PET.

"Hey Netto," said Enzan, who was driving, "We're low on gas. Is there a gas station anywhere close by?"

Netto, who had gotten his bearings somewhat, replied, "Yeah, there should be one just a mile or two up ahead. On the right, I think."

Enzan nodded and the next mile was spent in silence until, just as Netto had said, a gas station came into view on the right.

They pulled in, bouncing a little and waking up Tohru and Yaito who blinked sleepily. Meiru's long, dangling earrings jangled softly. There were no other cars there and so Enzan pulled up to one of the stations without any problems. The van came to a stop and he got out. Dekao squeezed out from the back, muttering something about too much pepsi.

Netto continued looking at the map and Meiru watched him while blowing a bubble with her gum. It popped and she continued chewing. Tohru and Yaito, realizing that they had not yet reached their destination, fell back asleep with Yaito's head resting on Tohru's shoulder. Tohru's arm was comfortably around her.

Meiru glanced at the two. "They're a cute couple," she said suddenly, breaking the silence.

Netto jumped. "What? Oh, yeah, I guess they are."

"It's funny how they ended up together after Yaito had spent all that time chasing Enzan," she muttered contemplatively.

"Yeah, it is," agreed Netto, before going back to looking at the map.

"Netto," she said, trying to gain back his attention. He looked over. "Do you remember what people used to say about us? About how we'd end up a couple when we got old enough?"

"Yeah, I remember. Silly wasn't it?"

She looked slightly put-off. "Did you ever think there was any truth to it?"

He looked at her, wondering why she was asking this all of a sudden. "No, not really. You're one of my best friends. You're like a sister to me. It would be weird if we started dating."

She averted his gaze, looking out the window. "Yeah, weird…" She suddenly felt cold and zipped up her jacket halfway over her tight tank top, her acrylic nails fumbling with the zipper.

Netto, puzzled, was about to ask if something was bothering her, when Enzan climbed back in. "Alright, we're set. Is Dekao still inside?" he asked, not noticing the slight tension in the van.

"Yeah, he's still in there. Maybe he's buying something to eat?"

"It's possible. He did already eat all of the chips."

"I thought he'd said he was starting a diet?" Meiru cut in. She scoffed and blew a large, pink bubble with her gum. "Some will power he has."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Dekao came out, his arms full of colorful bags which could only contain junkfood. He opened the side door to the van and climbed back into his seat.

When confronted about his eating habits, he blinked obliviously. "I am dieting. Look." He pointed to the bag of doughnuts. It said in large block letters NON-FAT. She rolled her eyes, but said nothing.

"Hey, Enzan, are you tired? You wanna switch? You've been driving for awhile now," offered Netto.

He smirked. "No way. I'm not trusting you behind the wheel." He started the engine.

Netto protested, "Hey! Isn't that being just a little hypocritical? Who's the one who drove into a mail box last week?"

Enzan scowled. "Shut up." He turned on the radio to end the conversation. A song by some rock band was playing.

They sat in silence for awhile, the only noise the sound of the radio. Meiru asked if she could change the channel and reached over the seat, exposing more of her cleavage than she probably should have. She stopped when she found a station that played pop. A high-pitched girl with a squeaky voice was singing. All other passengers decided to ignore her choice of song as it was only a bit farther.

The mist grew heavier as they drove deeper into the forest. The trees on either side loomed high above them, shadowing them as they passed. It was impossible to see more than three feet into the thick mess of the trees and brush.

"Enzan, slow down," said Netto. "We don't want to miss the turn off."

Enzan obliged, slowing the van even further as he drove carefully through the thick fog. He leaned forward and peered through the windshield. He continued like that for awhile. "Hey Netto, how much farther?" When there was no reply, he glanced at the brown haired boy next to him. "Netto?"

"It should be really close," Netto answered finally. "Not even a mile." He looked up from the map. "Let's keep our eyes peeled."

As the two up front kept a close surveillance, trying to make out a sign or marker of some kind, Dekao in back happily chewing on his fat-free donuts, and Yaito and Tohru snoring away, Meiru huffed and looked out the window. "We're camping here? In this middle-of-nowhere-dump?" She scoffed haughtily and waited for some sort of response, but none came. She muttered to herself, "I can't believe I agreed to come."

She pulled out her PET and turned it on. "Roll, any new emails? Has Roger sent a message yet? He promised to send me something remember?" She said this purposefully loud enough for the others to hear; they still ignored her.

"No, there's one from Katelyn and one from your piano teacher, but that's it. Sorry."

She clicked the PET off and resumed watching the fog outside with a pouty little frown.

"There it is!" Netto suddenly exclaimed, pointing through the fog to a quaint wooden sign that read _Gerard's Campgrounds_.

"Guess you're good for something, Hikari," Enzan smirked as he carefully turned the van onto the drive.

"Hey! I take offense at that!" Netto exclaimed. However, Enzan's smirk only grew wider.

The paved road soon disappeared to be replaced by an uneven dirt road. The van bounced around considerably and Enzan slowed down. "Do we need to check in or something?"

"Yeah, the place should be just down this road."

Sure enough, a small cabin-looking building appeared. Or rather, the glow of light from the windows appeared. The fog obscured much else.

They pulled in to the small parking lot. Despite it's size, there were still plenty of free spaces. They could only make out three other cars. Enzan hopped out, heading towards the building.

Meiru sighed and spit out her gum, depositing it into the bag of Dekao's trash.

Moments later, Enzan reappeared. "We're all set," he said. "They told me that they only have a few other people out there right now, so we can pretty much camp wherever we want. Let's get the stuff out and then we can hike out and find a spot."

"_Hike? _We have to _hike?_'" Meiru exclaimed. "With the luggage and equipment?"

"It is camping," murmured Dekao from the back.

"This is as far as the road goes," explained Netto. "The rest is foot trails."

They pulled open the door and Meiru squeezed out past the still-sleeping couple. Then she poked Yaito and Tohru awake. "Hey, you guys! We're here."

Yaito yawned. "Already?"

They both got out and then Dekao climbed over the middle seat to reach the door. Once they were all out, they headed for the trunk where their stuff was. Enzan started pulling all their bags out as Netto peered into the haze. "It looks like the fog might be clearing up!" he announced.

"That's good. It's giving me the creeps," said Tohru

"Do you think it'll clear up before tomorrow?" asked Meiru.

The other boy shrugged. Then he went around the van to help Enzan with the rest of the luggage.

"It does seem kind of spooky right now, huh?" asked Yaito as she looked around and shivered. Tohru wrapped his arms around her.

Dekao inched towards Meiru, but the pink-haired girl chose that moment to go see what was taking Netto and Enzan so long. The two older boys seemed to be inspecting one of the bags.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"One of the zippers is stuck," explained Netto. And just as he said that, it finally came free and Enzan yanked it back across the bag.

"Alright," said the blue-eyed boy. "It's already mid-afternoon. We should get going so that we can have camp set up before it gets too dark." He grabbed a couple bags and started walking off.

The others followed his example, grabbing their respective bags and trudging off along a trail that they had failed to notice earlier.

"Wait! Enzan, should we lock the car?" asked Tohru.

"Blues," said the older boy.

"I'm on it, Enzan."

Enzan looked back towards the group. "Are we forgetting anything else? You better remember now, 'cause I don't want to have to come back to the car in the middle of the night."

No one said anything.

They continued on down the trail and into the fog.

* * *

And _that _is chapter one of my newest story. The Rockman.exe section is really lacking in good horror stories. So I am making my own. Muahahahaha! It's slightly inspired from stuff in the Blair Witch Project.

But, that was just the beginning, I haven't even gotten to the creepy stuff yet. (shivers) Ooh, I can't wait! I thought about adding Laika in here, but then I was like, no, he'd handle the situation too well. So no Laika. But I think I might have made Meiru too bitchy. Is she too bitchy? I wanted her to be a little bit, but if it's too much someone please tell me so I can fix that.

And forgive me if I don't include the navis all that much. I just don't really think of them and thus, I forget to add them to the story. They won't be major parts of it anyway.

"Keep your eyes peeled." XD Honestly, who came up with such a line? I bet it was Shakespeare. XP Whenever I hear that I'm reminded of those haunted house things where you peel a bunch of grapes and they're supposed to be eyeballs. .> So lame...

….?

You know, a review a day keeps the evil-inner-authoress-who-refuses-to-update away. Please contribute to our cause and leave a review. Thank you and have a nice day.

Harry: hissss

That is We will love you for it! in alligator speak.


	2. Chapter 2

The group trudged along the path, kicking up dirt in their wake as they shuffled along under the weight of their luggage. Enzan led the way.

"It's so quiet out here," noted Yaito who was shifting her large pink duffle into a more comfortable position to carry. "It's really different from in the city. Kind of peaceful."

"Yeah," agreed Tohru. "I've always wanted to live somewhere like this. Not too far from the city, but far enough."

"What are you guys talking about?" complained Meiru from the back. "I think it would be creepy to live in the woods all by yourself."

They passed by a small clearing where there appeared to be a group of people who had a site all set up. They walked past it, but didn't see anyone.

"Let's set up camp a bit farther, so that we don't disturb anyone," said Netto. "This is gonna be great, I can feel it. We'll have parties, cooking our own food, roasting marshmellows, sleeping under the stars—"

"I thought we brought tents," interrupted Dekao.

"Well, yeah, but we're still under the stars."

"With a tent roof overhead."

"That doesn't matter! You're outside and not in a house with a real roof, and thus you are under the stars!" Netto huffed.

"Jeez, you two," muttered Yaito. To Enzan, she called out, "Hey! Where are we going? We've been walking for awhile now and my arms are getting tired!"

"I'm just trying to find a spot with enough space for all of us," he replied.

The fog had regressed a bit and they could now see much more easily than they could before. Up ahead was what seemed to be the perfect spot.

When they reached it, Dekao dropped his bags. "I'm not hiking any further," he groaned.

"This spot's as good as any," agreed Enzan.

They all piled their stuff on the ground. Netto grabbed one of the tents.

"Who wants to help me set up?" he asked with a grin.

No one replied.

Enzan sighed. "I guess I have to make sure you don't mess it up."

The two friends went off to do that and the rest of them took a seat on a fallen log that was probably placed there purposely.

Meiru shivered. "It's colder than I was expecting. It was so bright and warm when we left this morning."

"It's probably because of these trees. They cast a lot of shade and the sun doesn't get through so easily," replied Tohru.

"This fog probably doesn't help either."

"Come on, let's help Enzan and Netto set up camp. It's no good if we just sit around," said Tohru who jumped to his feet and grabbed a few logs. Yaito reluctantly joined him. They went over to the campfire ring to start a fire.

Meiru sighed. "Where's the bathroom?"

Dekao shrugged. "Find a bush."

"What?! I am NOT using a bush. There has to be a toilet somewhere."

Overhearing her, Enzan said, "There was one at the check-in station. If you want to hike back down there, you can."

Grumbling, Meiru stood and strode off down the path.

When she was gone, Tohru asked, "Why did we bring her, again? You know how she acts nowadays. She's just going to be annoying."

"Come on, she's always ben our friend," replied Netto. "And it's not like I forced her to come. It was her choice."

Tohru just sighed. No one else said anything.

Camp was fully set up by the time the last light was fading. They were all sitting around the campfire roasting hot dogs. Dekao and Netto were fighting for the best spot over the fire. Both of their hot dogs ended up falling into the flames.

Meiru yawned. "I'm so tired. I think I'm going to go to bed early."

"But we haven't even had marshmellows yet! I brought stuff for s'mores!" interjected Netto incredulously.

"That's okay, I'll pass," she said, standing up and brushing off the seat of her skirt. Turning to her blond friend, she asked, "Yaito, will you come or are you going to stay up a bit longer?"

"I'll stay out here a while longer, thanks." She was resting her head comfortably on Tohru's shoulder, having finished her hot dog a while ago.

While Meiru went to the tent, Netto pulled out the marshmellows.

"It's time for the best part!" he declared gleefully.

"Netto, you are not getting more than two s'mores," said Enzan as he speared a marshmellow with a stick.

"What, why?!" Netto cried, stabbing his own marshmellow.

"You are not allowed to have large amounts of sugar, especially since my sleeping bag is next to yours. You're probably going to kick me or something anyway."

"Hey! I don't move around that much!"

Enzan was unable to make a comeback because his mouth was filled with gooey marshmellow. Netto huffed and took his marshmellow off the fire, then proceeded to carefully construct a s'more.

When they were done with everything, they put the fire out and went to their tents to change for bed and go to sleep. There was one large tent for the four boys and a smaller one for Meiru and Yaito.

They said their good nights and zipped up the tents. All was quiet. There was nothing but the sound of the leaves in the trees as they rustled quietly in the breeze.

And as all of them continued to sleep peacefully, the fog rolled back in, hiding the stars from view.

* * *

A sharp scream rang out, loud and clear from somewhere in the forest.

Three of the four boys, sleeping so peacefully moments before, jolted awake.

Tohru sat straight up in his sleeping bag. "What was that?"

Netto was still bleary-eyed and not fully conscious, but Enzan was awake and completely still as his eyes gazed off, unfocused, as he sat listening.

He looked at his watch.

It was just passed three.

There was another scream. This time it sounded closer.

The brown-haired boy was fully alert now. "Someone's in trouble!"

Years of training came into practice. He and Enzan grabbed flashlights and went outside the tent.

There was nothing suspicious. Enzan immediately went towards the second tent. "Are you two alright?" he whispered.

The tent flap was unzipped and Meiru stuck her head out. "What's going on? We heard screams."

"We don't know. Netto and I are going to check it out."

"Be careful," Yaito whispered from somewhere behind Meiru. The tent was zipped shut again.

The two older boys set off down the path, pitch black except for the bobbing of the flashlights.

"It sounded like a woman right?" asked Netto nervously. He was glancing all around him, his eyes wide to try and make out anything in the darkness.

"Yeah. It did."

They continued walking in silence, occasionally pointing their flashlights into the thick trees. Just in case.

After about ten minutes of this, another light appeared in the distance. It was a man.

"Hello!" he called out. He appeared to be in his thirties with short, dark hair and an unshaven face.

Netto waved and the two parties came to meet each other.

"Are you camping out here?" he asked.

"Yes, our group just got here today. Are you part of one of the other groups who is out here at the moment?"

"Yeah, my wife and I and a couple of friends are out here for a few days."

Netto nodded. "I think we passed your tent on our way up."

"Probably. Did you guys hear a scream a while ago?" he said, abruptly changing the subject.

"We did. You don't know where it came from?" asked Enzan.

"Nope, I was just out hoping to figure that out myself." He sighed. "You kids can go on back to sleep. I'll go down to the ranger's station and see if I can find anything out. If it's anything important, I'll let you know. You have a camp set up further along this trail, right?" At their confirmation, he continued. "Alright. You boys sleep well."

"Thank you."

The two of them turned back as the other man went back the way he'd come.

"I hope everything's okay…"

Enzan sighed. "It was probably some city girl who woke up to a spider in her bed or something stupid like that."

"Hmm. Maybe."

When they reached their tents again, they told the others about meeting with the man. Then they got back to their sleeping bags.

"And Dekao never woke up?" asked Netto.

"Nope. We should follow his example and go back to sleep," muttered Tohru, yawning. He looked like he was half-asleep already.

The other two settled into comfortable positions and soon were also drifting into the land of dreams.

They had no clue that what would soon follow would be worse than the worst nightmares.

* * *

Ahahahaha! That ending is so cheesy. It's like a cliffhanger, but not really.

By the way, I don't think I've mentioned this yet, but I figured it was implied… Anywayz, the characters are all older now. Enzan is the oldest; he's seventeen. The rest are sixteen with the exception of Yaito, who is fifteen. I don't care if the ages don't add up with how they would be in the actual series. This is MY fic and whatever I say goes.

So, now the gang is out in the woods, there was a scream, and they met a mysterious man. Looking back, I realized I never gave an actual name for him. Oh wellz. It's not necessary for the progress of the fic. But if any of you are curious, his name is Phillip. It's a girl nickel! XD

Alrighty, that's all for now. A word from my alligator:

Harry: Hiss hiss!

That is Please review! in alligator speak.


	3. Chapter 3

It was early the next morning that Netto and Tohru decided to hike to the ranger's station to inquire about what had happened last night. That left the rest of the group to cook breakfast. It also meant Netto and Tohru would probably eat last. Netto was unhappy about this.

"Jeez, couldn't this have waited until after breakfast? I'm really hungry…"

"Your stomach can wait, Netto. We'll probably be back in an hour." Netto continued grumbling anyway.

The hike was uneventful. They meandered along the trail, passing the other tents. A group of people were out around the campfire. The smell of bacon permeated the air. Netto saw the man they'd spoken to last night and waved. He waved back. They continued on.

As they approached the ranger's station, which also doubled as the check in, the two teenage boys got their first good look at it. The morning sunlight was a stark contrast to the fog of yesterday afternoon. It was a small, wood building. It looked to have a door and two windows with old-fashioned shutters.

"The windows are dark. Do you think anyone's in there this early?" asked Tohru doubtfully.

"Supposedly, there's someone here at all times. Let's try." He stood on the small stoop and knocked.

There was a moment's pause and then the door opened. A middle-aged man with a bushy mustache and glasses peered down at them.

"Can I help you?"

"Um… Last night…" started Tohru.

"Last night we heard a scream. We wanted to make sure everything was alright," said Netto.

The ranger paused for a second. It looked like he was thinking. "Oh! Yes, something did happen last night. Apparently, the group left some food out. A bear came by and gave them quite a fright. They left early this morning. But everything's fine. Just remember not to leave food out in the open."

"Okay, thank you," said Netto. "We just wanted to ask about that."

"Alright. You kids have fun out here." The door closed again and the two boys stood there for a moment.

"Well, at least we know there was nothing too bad," said Tohru.

"Yeah."

"If you don't mind, I'd like to use the bathroom while I'm here. You can go on ahead if you'd like."

"No, that's okay. I have to go too. After all, it's the only working toilet for miles around."

When the two were done, they hiked back up to their campsite. The smell of pancakes greeted them.

"Mmm…That smells good…" Netto sniffed the air appreciatively.

"We saved you a whole pile, don't worry," said Yaito sarcastically.

"Yeah, dig in," said Dekao who sat nearby holding his stomach. He had probably eaten his fair share as well.

As Netto hastily piled pancakes onto his paper plate and smothered them with syrup, Tohru relayed what the ranger had said to the rest of the group.

"A bear, huh?" asked Dekao. "They didn't have to scream, whoever the person was. They woke everyone up."

"Everyone but you, that is," replied Meiru.

"What can I say? I sleep like a log."

Meanwhile, Enzan had unzipped one of the bags and grabbed a guidebook they'd brought with them. He flipped through till he apparently found the page he was looking for. His brows furrowed.

Netto caught it. "Something wrong, Enzan?" he asked with a mouthful of pancakes.

He closed the book. "No, nothing." He returned to wear he'd been sitting on the log.

"So, what are our plans for today?" asked Yaito.

"There's supposedly a waterfall near here," said Tohru.

"A waterfall? Really?" asked Meiru, looking excited for the first time since they'd left.

"Yeah, it's about a two hour hike, though. Not including the hike back."

"We could pack lunch and eat it there!" said Netto excitedly, who'd finished off all his pancakes.

"That sounds fun," Dekao agreed.

"So, are we decided?" asked Tohru.

"Yeah!" said Meiru and Yaito together.

"We don't have a picnic basket," stated Enzan.

"We can just use a paper bag."

And so, the group made sandwiches, shoved them in the paper shopping bag (who thought to bring that anyway?) and started the long hike up to the waterfall.

"What's the name of the waterfall, anyway?" asked Yaito.

"Name?"

"Yeah, don't waterfalls in parks usually get some cheesy name?"

"I don't know…"

"Shui."

Everyone looked at Enzan.

"The name of the waterfall is Shui. Shui falls."

"Shui… that's an interesting name," said Meiru contemplatively.

* * *

They were still along the trail when the path suddenly was in a bright field. It was fairly circular, and probably about one hundred yards in diameter. It was filled with tall grass and white flowers.

"Oh, wow!" exclaimed Yaito.

"It's really pretty," agreed Meiru, bending over to pick a flower and gently sniff it.

"This is pretty cool," said Netto. "I bet if you sit down, you're completely out of sight." He wandered off the path a little bit and sat down.

He was right, he had completely disappeared from sight.

"Can you see me?" he called.

"Nope," replied Dekao.

Enzan, who was further ahead, called back to the group. "Hey! If we want to make it to the falls before lunchtime, we have to keep going!"

Netto hopped up from where he'd vanished among the flowers and ran to catch up with the other boy.

The others walked briskly to catch up as well. Before they'd completely left the field, Tohru picked a flower and put it in Yaito's hair. The blond girl blushed shyly.

Meiru glanced back at the cute couple enviously. Netto chattered obliviously to Enzan up ahead.

"He doesn't think of you that way, you know."

Meiru shot a surprised glance to Dekao. They were out of hearing range of the rest of the group, Netto and Enzan being farther ahead and Yaito and Tohru having fallen behind.

"What? It's kind of obvious how you feel about Netto."

She glared. "Is it? Well, excuse me for my unrequited feelings."

"I didn't mean anything by it. I was just…" Dekao looked at her guiltily. "I've liked you for a long time. Everyone knows that. And I know that you'll never like me back, but I still want you to be happy."

Meiru's eyes softened. "Thanks."

He smiled, then lumbered ahead to catch up to the other two boys. He called back to the rest of them, "Hurry up guys! I'm getting hungry!"

Meiru shook her head. Then she picked up her pace as well. Well, as much as she could in her high-heels. Honestly, why did she wear them hiking anyway?

When they reached Shui falls, everyone gathered around on the top of the hill and stared.

"It's beautiful…"

Indeed it was. It was a large waterfall with foamy white water crashing over it's edge. A fine mist was rising from it, cooling the air and creating rainbows over the river that continued on afterwards.

"Where should we eat?" asked Netto, breaking their silence.

"I think right there is good," said Yaito pointing to a small grassy patch with a perfect view of the waterfall.

"Sounds good to me."

They set up their blanket, and spread it out. They had to squeeze, but the all mangaged to fit on it. The picnic basket (well, actually it was a large paper bag) was in the middle. Sandwiches handed out courtesy of Tohru.

They were all chewing contentedly when Meiru, shifting uncomfortably, got up to look under the blanket.

"I think I'm sitting on a rock…" After feeling around for a bit, she finally pulled something up. At first glance, they thought it was a stick, but then…

Meiru shrieked and threw it away from herself. It landed near Netto, who took a closer look at it as well.

"Oh my god!" he cried, and scooted backwards.

"What?! What is it?" asked Tohru.

Yaito peered over Netto's shoulder to get a better look.

Meiru was still screaming.

"Jeez, you guys, what is it?"

Before anyone else could really look at it, Enzan had picked it up and chucked it into the river.

"There. It's gone. Let's all finish eating our sandwiches," he said calmly, sitting back down himself.

"But what was it?" asked Dekao.

"It was just some animal bone," Enzan replied with a mouthful of peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"It was not just an animal bone!" protested Meiru. "It was a human arm! It still had the hand, and the fingers, and…and…"

"It probably just looked like one. It couldn't have possibly been a real human arm," rationalized Tohru.

"Yeah," agreed Netto, though he still looked pretty shaken up.

"After all, what would a human bone be doing here?"

"Maybe it was another bear," joked Dekao.

Meiru shook her head. "I can't eat after that. In fact, I don't even want to sit here. I'm gonna go back to our campsite. You guys have fun."

She strode off, walking considerably faster than when they were hiking there.

"She shouldn't go alone," said Dekao. He grabbed his sandwich in one hand and pushed himself off the ground with the other. "Hey Meiru! Wait up, I'll go with you!"

The others watched them until they were out of sight.

"And then, there were four…" said Netto. He sighed. "I'm not really hungry anymore, either."

The entire group stared at him in shock.

"What? Human or not, it's disconcerting to have a bone suddenly thrown in front of you."

Yaito nodded and continued to eat, as did the others. The rest of their picnic was relatively uneventful after that.

Peaceful, in fact.

* * *

Eh… chapter three. I'm not sure I really like it but… yeah, whatever. Filler, I suppose. You can't have everybody die in the first chapters, afterall.

But wasn't Yaito and Tohru just so cute? You know, I never really thought of them as a couple before, and I wasn't really serious about it when I put them like that in my story, but they're going together surprisingly well… And it was out of character for me, seeing as I absolutely hate Dekao and I think he's a moron who should die (and he just might) but I decided to give him a little scene with Meiru. Honestly, it was completely unplanned. It just fit in there so well, I thought.

What did you guys think of the bone scene? I don't think it was that great. It was suddenly just THERE and then it was over. Hmm…

By the way, Shui (in the third tone) means water in Chinese. Yeah, really unoriginal of me, when you think about it.

Harry: hiss hiss!

That means Please review! in alligator speak.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, everyone awoke to a loud bird singing it's not-so-sweet morning song.

Bleary eyed, Netto sat up, his hair a mess of brown.

"Hmm… What time is it?"

Enzan checked his watch. "It's nearly ten. I guess we overslept."

The brown eyed boy cracked a grin. "You? Oversleep? I don't believe it."

"You guys!"

The two glanced over at Tohru. But something was amiss…

"Dekao is gone!"

It was true. His sleeping bag lay out, perfectly straight and orderly with his duffel at the head. But the large mass that was Dekao was conspicuously absent.

Netto shrugged. "He must have gotten up before us."

Enzan grumbled as he put on his shoes. "He could have gotten us up, too."

The three boys climbed out their tent flap. They could hear rustling and quiet conversation from the girls' tent.

But Dekao wasn't outside.

"Huh. That's funny. I would've expected him to be making breakfast or something," said Netto.

"Maybe he went to the bathroom? He did drink a lot of root beer last night."

Enzan said nothing.

So, the three boys decided to go for a cold breakfast and grabbed their paper bowls and filled them with cereal. The other two still in the tent appeared a few minutes later and likewise helped themselves.

"Dekao's been gone for awhile…" Yaito started.

"Maybe someone should head down and check on him," agreed Tohru.

"I'll go," said Netto.

"Me too," said Yaito and Meiru at the same time.

"We can all go," said Enzan, standing up.

No one complained and the group headed down the trail.

The forest was completely silent. Not a branch stirred.

Then Netto suddenly stopped. Enzan glanced back at his friend.

"Wasn't this where that other group was camped out?"

Enzan's eyes narrowed. "Yeah…"

He walked over to where they had seen the two tents set up and crouched down. It was completely deserted. Not a thing left behind to show that someone had been camping there.

Not even footprints.

Enzan stood up. "Let's just keep going. They must have left early this morning."

Netto nodded uncertainly and followed the white-haired boy.

By the time the group got down to the parking lot and ranger's station, it was just past twelve.

A fog was rising again.

"So, where's Dekao?" asked Meiru. Tohru had run in to check the bathroom.

"He wouldn't just up and leave," muttered Netto.

"He can't leave," said Enzan. "I've got the keys." He pulled them out of his pocket. They jangled softly in the quiet atmosphere.

"I'm going to inform the ranger," said Tohru, who strode up to the cabin-like building and knocked.

There was no answer.

"What the hell?" said Meiru. "Isn't there supposed to be someone here at all times?"

"Maybe he's out in the woods somewhere?" Yaito probably meant that to be a statement, but it came out more like a question.

Tohru shook his head. "No, there's supposed to always be someone here!" He knocked again, louder.

When there was no response, Netto strode forward and banged on the door. "Come on! Someone's gotta be in there! Our friend is missing! Hey!"

Enzan went to peer through a window.

"It's no use. Nobody's in there."

Enzan sighed. "I'll call the police." He pulled out his PET. "Hey…! What the hell? Blues!" He pressed the power button several times, but the screen remained dark.

The rest of the group pulled out their PETs as well. All inactive.

"Dammit…" Enzan cursed. He ran an agitated hand through his white locks. Then he turned and strode purposefully to the van. "Something strange is going on. I'm going in to town to find the authorities."

"I'll go with you!" Netto immediately suggested.

"No!" Enzan said, a bit more firmly than he probably wanted to. "No, you have to stay here. You're the only other official and we should at least try to find Dekao ourselves."

He pulled open the door on the driver's side and climbed in. He closed the door and started up the engine. Rolling down the window, he said to them, "It's about a forty minute drive into town, but I don't know how long I'll take. I'll try to be back before nightfall."

Netto nodded, putting on a brave face.

"Good luck!" called Tohru.

Then the van drove off into the fog, leaving the four teenagers to stare after it in silence.

* * *

Uh oh. People are disappearing. This can't be good.

And the fog returns! I really just love the fog to bits. It creates such atmosphere. I'm thinking maybe I'll make it rain sometime in the story, too. I wish I got more rain and fog here, but I live in California and it's just not gonna happen. Stupid sunshine. T.T

This chapter was shorter than the others, but I think it had a tad bit more excitement. Maybe?

I'm looking forward to writing the next chapters. They start getting more and more exciting. (glee)

And kudos to all of you who predicted Dekao would be the first to go! Was it really so obvious? XD I guess no one likes him.

So! Please review! I hope y'all are enjoying the story so far.


	5. Chapter 5

"Okay," said Netto assertively. "Even if we can't find the park ranger, we should start searching for Dekao on our own. There are four of us, so we'll split into two groups. We'll all head back up to our campsite together. Yaito and Tohru, you two stay around the campsite area and search. Meiru and I will hike farther up and see if we can find some trace of him. He's gotta be around here somewhere, after all."

Yaito bit her lip and nodded nervously, while Tohru and Meiru looked just as unsure. Netto turned to lead the way back to their tent, and smiled at them.

He hoped he looked more confident than he felt.

Their hike back up was uneventful. All of them had their eyes peeled for any sign of the overweight boy, but to no avail.

"Do you think he's alright?" asked Meiru quietly. She hoped to god nothing bad had happened.

"Dekao's pretty resourceful, right?" said Tohru hopefully. "He can probably take care of himself just fine."

"Probably?" asked Yaito, turning wide, wet eyes to her boyfriend.

"Definitely," Tohru corrected. He smiled at her, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

Then they were back at camp. Everything was just as they had left it.

Netto turned to the group nervously, once again taking it upon himself to act as a leader. He wished Rockman was there to help.

"So, we'll split up from here. And remember, besides just Dekao, we should also try to find the ranger or any other person out here."

He paused indecisively for a moment.

"Well, good luck you two." He gave a half-hearted wave, which Yaito and Tohru both returned.

He and Meiru started off into the woods.

Tohru and Yaito watched as their friend's backs receded into the foliage.

"Let's get started, then." Tohru rustled around in his pocket for a second, before pulling out a small metal object.

Yaito leaned over to look. It was a compass.

"We should choose one direction and keep going that way, so as not to get lost," said the brown-haired boy.

"Good idea," Yaito nodded. She, herself, had no clue what they should do and she was more than willing to let someone else take over in this situation.

So they picked east, and turned off the trail and into the woods.

"And this way," Tohru said optimistically, "if we somehow do get lost and lose the compass, we can just see what direction the sun is in when it starts to set. We have nothing to worry about. It's just like taking a relaxing hike through the woods, playing hide and seek." It was a valiant attempt to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, but we can't see the sun," replied Yaito quietly. "And it will be far from relaxing for Dekao if we don't find him."

It was true. The sun was completely obscured by the fog floating around them, and the temperature seemed to have dropped slightly.

Tohru made no more attempts to act more cheerful and Yaito remained silent. They tromped through the underbrush without a word.

It had been probably twenty minutes when Tohru spotted something out of the corner of his eye and stopped.

Something had caught his attention. Something red… something covered in blood…! And blue? Hadn't Dekao been wearing blue?

"Tohru…? What is it?" She looked in the direction he was staring. She gasped.

Tohru was quick to move in front of her. He didn't want her to see.

"It's nothing. Just some dead animal," said Tohru. He pushed her around back the way they came. "Come on," he said. "I feel uneasy."

"What do you mean?" asked the blond girl with a trembling voice.

"I just… I'd rather find Netto and Meiru and have us all search together," Tohru answered.

In reality, he just didn't want her to see the bloody mess that was once possibly their friend.

"I'll feel safer when we're back on a real trail anyway."

When they made it to the campsite again, Netto and Meiru had not returned.

Yaito seemed shaken up, though she tried to hide it. Obviously, he hadn't been able to shield her from it very well. What a great boyfriend he was.

"We'll just wait here. Why don't you get your jacket from the tent? I'll make some hot cocoa. I'm sure Meiru and Netto will probably want some too, when they get back."

Yaito nodded, her lower lip trembling, and disappeared into the tent.

Tohru busied himself with making the warm drink and tried to sort his thoughts. He was oddly calm in a situation where he should probably be panicking. He just had to wait for Netto. Netto would know what to do.

He had never confirmed it to be Dekao anyway.

But if Dekao had gotten in trouble, what could have happened to him?

_Maybe he got up for a midnight snack and something got him first._

What kind of something would that be? A bear?

_So, maybe someone did something to him._

But who is someone? And what are they doing out here? What would they want with Dekao?

_I bet you'll find out soon enough._

His blood ran cold. Whatever happened to Dekao could happen to any of them…

_It has been awhile since Yaito went to get her jacket…_

He whipped around, spilling the cocoa, and tripping over a log.

"Yaito!" he called. He frantically picked himself up and ran towards her tent. "Yaito!"

He yanked back the door to the tent. "_Yaito!"_

But there she was, wrapped up in a jacket. She looked terrified.

"T-Tohru?"

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry. It's just…" He sighed and then grinned at her. "I guess I just got a little paranoid for a moment, there."

She smiled back, timidly. "Is the cocoa ready?"

He turned around. "Ah—oops. I spilled it. Sorry, I'll make some more."

She climbed out of the tent to join him, when suddenly, she heard something.

They looked over to see Netto and Meiru returning along the trail. The two younger teens breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is that hot chocolate I smell?" asked Netto as he got within hearing range.

"We didn't find anything," said Meiru from behind him. "Did you?"

Yaito glanced at Tohru. "W-we did."

"What?"

"We're not sure," said Tohru abruptly. "We found something, but we're not sure what it was exactly."

"Something…?"

Tohru nodded. "I don't think we should search anymore. We need to stick together and wait for Enzan to come back with the police." The younger boy shifted his eyes in the direction of Yaito, hoping Netto would get the message. Thankfully, he did.

The two drifted over to the food supplies, pretending to be busying themselves with the cocoa.

"What did you see?" asked Netto in a hushed whisper.

Tohru was quiet for a long moment as he ripped the seal on a package of cocoa mix. Netto didn't push him.

"There was a body." Netto's eyes widened disbelievingly. "It was mangled and bloody. I didn't want to approach it, especially not with Yaito there. But I'm almost positive I saw Dekao's shirt." Tohru continued to stir the brown powder in with the steaming water. He still was acting abnormally calm. Alarmingly calm.

Tohru locked eyes with Netto. "Don't let Yaito know. It's bad enough that she was there."

The other boy nodded.

Tohru turned from him then and plastered a smile to his face. "The hot cocoa's ready!"

Netto wasn't sure what to do.

* * *

Night fell and Enzan had still not returned. They decided that it would be safer if the entire group went into the one big tent. They pushed Enzan's and Dekao's stuff neatly into a corner and squeezed in the girl's sleeping bags and duffels. They had a quick dinner, got ready for bed, and slipped quietly into their sleeping bags. None of them really felt up to conversation.

They drifted to sleep, slowly, one by one. Tohru was the last to finally let his eyes fall shut. When one was tired, there was little you could do to prevent sleep.

Nonetheless, they were all awakened in the middle of the night by a noise. None of them were quite sure what it was. Netto hushed them with a finger to his lips and a sharp glare. Then he stopped to listen.

It sounded like footsteps almost. _Crunch, slide, crackle. crunch, slide, snap._

Whoever or whatever it was seemed to be dragging something. They all froze, not daring to move. Then, from somewhere in the distance, there were noises. Like giggling, laughter. Children giggling. It was like that for a long time, them not moving and the whispered noises outside their tent. Then it seemed to move on, it's noises and footsteps fading into the distance. But still, none of them moved even after it was long gone.

It took even longer than last time, but miraculously, they all were asleep again when the sun just started to rise. They would need all the rest they could get.

* * *

Whew. Dang, I was writing this at night, alone in my room, and I had to keep looking over my shoulder. XD A testament to my writing skills, I am even scaring myself! Muahahahahaha!

I think Tohru acted rather suspiciously, hmm…? Being all nonchalant and casual after seeing a mangled corpse. I always did think he was too nice to be real. It's all really a façade to cover up his murdering tendencies. XP

So! I hope you enjoyed this chapter now please review! A starving authoress needs sustenance! We don't live off of sunlight and water, y'know.


	6. Chapter 6

When they finally awoke again, it was late in the morning, but none could tell due to the heavy fog obscuring any sunlight from reaching them.

Tohru blinked sleepily and looked to his left where Yaito was. But she wasn't there. Tohru sat straight up in his sleeping bag, wide awake now.

"Yaito?" he whispered. But she still was not there. Her sleeping bag was laid out neat and straight just like Dekao's had been. Tohru wriggled out of his own sleeping bag, not bothering to unzip it, he just had to get out. He shoved on his shoes and rushed out of the tent before either Netto or Meiru could even register what he was doing.

"Yaito!" he called. He ran pointlessly around their campsite, past their food and the log they used as a bench and the burnt out firepit. His eyes searched around frantically, trying to penetrate the thick fog. "_Yaito!"_

He began to run down the trail when he was grabbed from behind. He spun to face whoever it was and swung a fist.

It was only Netto, who dodged him quickly. "Whoa! Tohru, calm down."

"Calm down? Think about what you're saying Netto! Yaito is missing! _Missing! _Just like Dekao and I told you what happened to him. Don't you dare tell me to calm down!" He wrenched his arm from Netto's grasp and continued down the trail.

"We need to stick together," Netto insisted. "There's no point in rushing off without thinking things through."

Meiru stood a bit behind her chocolate haired crush, wrapped in a sweater and biting her lip as she waited for the outcome of this argument.

"I don't need to do any damn thing! Yaito could still be alive, but while we sit here discussing stuff, she could be dying!"

"Enzan should be back soon. He promised," Netto was pleading now, trying to do anything to get his usually quiet friend to calm down. "He'll come with police and we can search through the entire forest."

The thought of police seemed to help him slightly. He stopped yelling and just stared into the fog for a second, breathing heavily from all his yelling. "Shit. Fine. Fine, we'll wait. But if Enzan is not here in—" and here he looked at his watch. It read eleven-thirteen. "Two hours, I am going out and looking for her and I don't care what you have to say about it. Got that?"

Netto swallowed and nodded. It was odd, hearing his friend talking to him in such a harsh manner. Tohru was usually very quiet and soft spoken.

The three of them turned quietly back to the camp to make something to eat. Netto hoped Enzan returned soon.

Their sandwiches were eaten in silence, all of them chewing quietly, as though each of them were afraid of breaking the silence. When they were done, Netto pulled out his PET again and pressed the power button several times. Still nothing. Netto sighed. He hadn't really expected it to turn on anyway.

"Hey Netto." Surprisingly, it was Tohru who finally broke the silence. "I'm sorry about what I said. I know you're right and I was being stupid. But I just…" he let his sentence trail off, unfinished.

Netto knew what he was trying to say. He smiled, not without effort, and put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll find her."

Tohru just nodded.

A snap in the bushes caused all of them to go on alert. Meiru stood and took a step back. None of them could see anything, but whatever might be there could easily be hiding in the fog, peering at them from some unknown location.

Netto squinted into the mist and walked forward, ignoring Meiru's hushed whispers from behind him, telling him to come back. When he finally felt certain there was nothing there, he turned back to the group.

"It was probably a squirrel or something," he said to his friends, trying to reassure himself as much as he was trying to reassure them.

He stopped to think for a moment. "Last night…" he turned to them, "You guys heard it too, right? There were noises outside our tent, like something was there."

Meiru shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself. "I'd rather not remember. I was so scared."

"But if it really was there, shouldn't there be some traces of something around here? Some sign that there was something here?" He strode towards the tent.

"Netto, maybe we shouldn't—"

"No, I think we should." He faced them again. "Something is going on here, you can't deny that and you can't pretend it's nothing. With two people missing and possibly still alive, we need to do everything we can. Are you going to help me or not?" The others nodded. "Good."

He circled the tent for a bit, Tohru and Meiru reluctant to make any move to help him. Tohru eventually came forward to look inside the tent itself in case there was something he'd missed in his frenzy earlier.

Netto stepped carefully, lightly, over the ground. His chocolate brown eyes searched the dirt for any sign of a clue that could at least point him in a direction. It wasn't until he'd reached the edge of the clearing, when the open ground started to become more underbrush and foliage that he saw something.

He leaned down, crouching over the spot on the ground. The dirt and leaves that had fallen from the trees were disturbed. Or maybe disturbed wasn't quite the right word. They were crushed and decayed in ways the other plants were not. Then he picked up a pinch of it and it crushed to powder in his hand. No, not decayed. Burned. There were a few spots like that, scattered in that small area of their clearing. But no where else.

Netto stood. Meiru hadn't moved and Tohru was still in the tent. The brown haired boy approached the small structure.

"Tohru, did you find anything?"

No answer.

"Tohru?" He pulled back the tent flap.

The younger boy was seated upon Yaito's bedroll, staring at something in his hands.

"Hey, what—"

"Her hairclip," was all he said at first. Netto paused a moment and Tohru turned his head toward him, smiling lightly. However, the silent stream of tears rolling down his cheeks betrayed his emotions. In his hand was a small clip that Netto recalled seeing in Yaito's hair just the day before.

The brown haired boy didn't know what to say at first. He wasn't sure what he should do. So he stepped back to give the other a moment alone. God knows he needed it.

Meiru was standing right behind him. "How is he?" she whispered.

Netto only smiled sadly before going over to their small pack of supplies and started packing them up. "We should start carrying stuff down. We shouldn't stay here any longer than necessary."

When everything was put together, Netto peeked into the tent once more where Tohru had yet to move.

"Tohru," he whispered. "We're bringing stuff down to the parking lot. You should come with us." The younger boy nodded but still didn't move.

When he finally did, it was slowly and precisely.

They took their time hiking down, but when they were in sight, Meiru spotted a familiar van. "Enzan," she cried jubilantly.

The group ran down, plastic silverware and dishes plus the cans and bags of food clattered noisily as they hurried to greet the other. The white haired boy was just stepping out of the van and he slammed the door behind him angrily. He was immediately barraged by questions such as, "What happened?", "What took so long?", and "When are they coming to help?"

He scowled. "They say they're not going to do anything. They said they needed real concrete proof, or that he had to be missing for at least twenty-four hours!" He ranted on, "I waited for hours to get the paperwork all filled out and then I finally got to see them and they give me this crap about how Net Saviors really don't count as officials and Dekao is probably just playing a prank and on and on, those worthless idiots. Twenty-four hours, my ass!"

Netto glanced nervously at Tohru who had suddenly become very still, his gaze distant.

Enzan didn't miss it. He also didn't notice the absence of a certain blond girl. His eyes narrowed. "Did something happen? Where's Yaito?"

Netto was about to answer when someone else replied for him. "She's gone." There was a little laugh, not quite humorous, not quite sane, most probably ironic. Tohru spun on his heel and started walking in no particular direction muttering those two words to himself all the while.

Meiru came up behind him and touched his shoulder, speaking soft, comforting words. Even if she was more annoying nowadays and slightly self-centered, she was still the same girl who cared for her friends. Netto was about to go do the same when a harsh grip took hold of his arm and spun him around. He was forced to look at piercing blue eyes.

"They'll be fine for a minute. Tell me everything that happened."

And so, Netto told him everything he could remember with as much detail as possible, trying to leave nothing out. The supposed body of Dekao in the forest, the strange noises heard the night before, and finally the disappearance of Yaito. Enzan didn't interrupt him and Netto was unnerved by his friend's stoicness.

By this time, Meiru had gently led Tohru back over to the van. "We should finish packing our stuff and get out of here before nightfall," she whispered.

"No!" shouted Tohru rather forcefully. "We can't leave! We have to find Yaito!"

"Tohru—"

"_I said no_! I am not leaving without her!" The boy turned abrubtly and picked up the stuff he'd been carrying down to the parking lot, fully intending on returning to camp.

"What?!" Meiru practically screeched. "Are you crazy? What happened to them could happen to either of us! I'm sure if we just go back to town, then—"

"No." This time the boy did not even turn and look at her when he replied. He just kept walking.

The three of them stared after for a long moment, letting the silence hang between them.

Then, "We can't let him stay here by himself." Enzan hefted up the box Meiru had been carrying and followed the other into the fog.

Netto and Meiru found they had no choice but to reluctantly follow.

* * *

This can not bode well. Muahahahaha!

Jeez, Tohru's a mental breakdown ready to happen. Who else is betting he'll be the first to crack in the next chapter? Yeah, me too.

Well, you know what they say, a review a day keeps the doctor at bay! XD

Harry: hiss hiss hiss

That is What she means to say is please review! in alligator-speak.


	7. Chapter 7

"I want to look for her."

The three others were unsurprised, but upset nonetheless. Tohru was distraught, his face seemingly calm but his eyes filled with a frantic wildness. His hands balled into tight fists, his fingers almost disappearing in the sleeves of his large sweatshirt.

"Tohru, we really should lea—" As Meiru tried once again to convince him to depart from the dark, clouded forest they had had the misfortune of camping in, he interrupted her with a sharp retort.

"You promised we could look for her!" As he said it, his focus switched from the pink haired girl to Netto, who unwillingly took a step back, into Enzan. "You said that if Enzan wasn't back with the police in two hours, we could go looking for her. Don't you dare go back on your word!"

Netto sighed in defeat and he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder to see Enzan's calm blue eyes. His expression was one of reassurance. Or, rather it seemed to be. Netto could never be sure, but he'd been friends with the other for years and he took it upon himself to interpret the look however he wished. And he needed to get all the reassurance he could right now. He would let Enzan step in for him for the time being.

"Fine, we'll look for her." Enzan's calm voice made the terrifying prospect of searching the forest seem a much simpler task. "It will be dark in a few hours, so we better start soon, and be back here at camp before nightfall. But we have to stick together as a group. No one goes anywhere alone." He fixed Tohru with a stern glare, to which the younger boy replied with one of his own. But he backed down eventually with a half-hearted consent.

Netto laughed nervously, wishing he could laugh sincerely somewhere safe and far, far away. "Where should we start looking?"

Enzan looked eastward. "We'll start where Tohru said he found Dekao." Letting Tohru lead the way, walking at a brisk pace so as to hopefully accomplish as much as possible before they would be forced to stop or to hopefully find either of their friends in the quickest amount of time.

It seemed normal enough at first despite the mist, lots of trees, underbrush, twigs that scraped at their faces and snagged their clothes, piles of leaves hiding the homes of small animals that one could accidentally step in. But then they went deeper and the fog became thicker, giving everything a slightly blue tint and covering the areas that lay just a few feet ahead.

They walked slowly, wanting to be sure of their surroundings, yet steadily to keep up with the young boy in the lead who seemed completely sure of where he was going. He did have the compass afterall. In the meantime, they kept sharp look out, jumping at the slightest sound that seemed out of place.

After a while, Tohru stopped suddenly, causing Meiru and Netto, who were behind him, to bump into him and stumble forward. They found themselves stepping in something that was most definitely not foliage. At the same time, they were met with an extremely strong stench… like something rotting and decayed. Meiru scrambled backwards quite suddenly with a sharp cry. Netto almost tripped and Enzan reached out a hand to steady him.

Tohru, however, stared at the mangled mess that was caked with dried blood, an unappealing brown, crusty color. It was lumpy, obviously no where near resembling what it once had been, though it was clear from the shredded shirt and large size that it could be nothing but their friend.

Meiru began crying, unable to pry her eyes from the terrible sight. Large fat tears began to roll silently down her cheek and then she gave a quiet gasp and a hiccup until she burst into full-blown sobs. She sank to her knees, sobbing and crying. "I hate this! I hate this so much! Why did we have to come here? What are we still _doing_ here? Let's leave! _Please, Tohru! Let's leave_! Oh, my god, Dekao…!" She turned suddenly and buried her face in Enzan's leg, the teenager having still been behind her. He stiffened at the suddden physical contact before slowly bending down to wrap and arm awkwardly around the girl.

Netto leaned against an oak nearby, heaving and gagging, until finally the contents of his stomach emptied and splattered on the trunk of the tall tree. He coughed and Enzan saw that his face, too, had a small trail of tears rolling down his cheeks.

Enzan decided to take a moment to observe the carcass of Dekao, as the pink haired girl beside him calmed herself.

The body itself was still in one whole piece, nothing missing or really seperated. Sharp eyes picked out what used to be a stomach and the limbs… But the flesh had been torn into and ripped and slashed. It was definitely not the work of any predatory animal he knew of, seeing as they left the body mostly intact and bit into and ripped off pieces to be eaten. These cuts were much to clean, numerous though they were.

Blue eyes narrowed. This was definitely not the work of an animal. He glanced at Tohru who still had not moved.

"Enzan?" Netto had reappeared next to him, somewhat more composed now and his face clean of any puke or tears. Meiru, too, was merely sniffling tiredly. The white haired boy stood, pulling out of her grasp. He never really had been as comfortable with Netto's friends as he wanted everyone to believe he was.

"Are you okay now?" Enzan aked the brown haired boy. The light was growing dimmer, he realized, and he was having a hard time making out the features of the other's face.

Netto nodded.

Enzan strode purposefully forward and pulled Tohru around. "Tohru," he said seriously. "It's getting dark. We should go back now, otherwise we won't be able to see our way at all."

The smaller boy suddenly pushed something into Enzan's hands. He looked down.

It was a flashlight.

Tohru pulled out one of his own and clicked it on, the beam sweeping across the forest and cutting throught the shadows. "We keep searching."

"No!" Meiru shrieked. "No, you agreed! You agreed that once it got dark we would go back. I don't want to stay here, please, I don't want to stay here any longer…" She trailed off into sobs once more.

They had all been watching Meiru silently, waiting for her to calm herself when voices began to be heard. They were distant, echoing, seemingly all around them. The four teenagers turned around, searching the shadows frantically with wide eyes. It was laughter, soft and teasing, exactly like what the group had heard the night before Yaito disappeared.

Tohru swept the beam of his light desperately across the trees. "Where are you, you bastards! Get out here! Show yourselves! What have you done with Yaito?!" He strode forward, confrontationally, in one direction, before stopping and striding in the other. Nothing appeared, nothing made itself known. There was only the soft laughter, seeming to mock them. Tohru picked up a rock from the forest floor and threw it as hard as he could in a random direction. "_Where the fuck are you?!"_

The giggles never ceased, but now another sound was added to the eerie symphony. A crying, a very familiar whimpering voice.

They all gasped, eyes wide.

"Yaito…?" whispered Netto.

"Yaito? Yaito?!" Tohru began running. "You're alive! Where are you? Answer me!" And as he continued running off, his voice faded farther into the distance.

"Tohru! Tohru stop!" Enzan called.

"Tohru, come back!" Netto cried out, fearful for his friend. He would have chased after him if it were not for Enzan's arm around him, holding him back, something he'd have to remember to thank the older boy for later.

It was no use. The boy was gone, disappeared after the voice of his girlfriend. With him, it seemed, the voices also left.

Her breath shuddering, Meiru grabbed onto the sleeves of both Enzan and Netto. "Let's go back. Please, let's go back and get the police."

Netto nodded at her and enveloped her in a hug, then looked over her shoulder to Enzan who had turned on the flashlight Tohru provided them with and started tramping off through the foliage, following the few footprints they'd left. The brown haired boy would trust that he would be able to get them out of there alive.

The trek back took longer than expected, though the dark atmosphere and the desire to get out probably made it seem longer than it was. When Enzan pressed the small light on his digital watch, it revealed that it was near midnight.

They came back out at the site of their tent. There was seemingly no change in the supplies, no sign that anything at all was out of the ordinary.

Netto's arm was still securely around Meiru's shoulders and he started leading her down the path. "Let's not stay here, let's just go straight back into town to get the police."

Enzan, agreeing, followed silently behind, keeping watch for anything that might be lurking in the shadows. Three people were already gone, he would not risk the lives of these two.

By the time they arrived at the parking lot, they were all tired and exhausted from the hiking and wanted nothing more than to leave and get out of that horrible place. But they found that that would be more of a problem than they thought.

The van was gone.

"What… Where…?" Meiru asked, slightly in shock.

Enzan ran to the spot where the car had been previously. "It was right here. I know it was. I parked it right here." He bent down, fingers tracing over the oil spot the vehicle had left behind.

Suddenly, he stood, kicking at some non-existant cause for all their problems. It would seem that the Ijuuin boy had finally lost his composure. "_Fuck! _What the hell, it was right here! Someone is fucking with us, they are goddamn _fucking_ with us!_" _He cursed and raged, then finally screamed in exasperation, grabbing the jangling keys from his pocket and heaving them as far as he could.

He was breathing hard, Netto and Meiru watching him silently. Meiru had just suffered too much trauma and was no longer really listening to anything, a steady stream of tears leaking down her face. And Netto… Well, nothing really surprised him anymore.

"Come on," Enzan said quietly, calmly. "Let's go back to our tent. We'll figure something out. We'll get out of here somehow, don't worry."

He said it to both of them but was speaking mainly to Netto. Or maybe it was himself he was trying to reassure. He really didn't know. They just hiked back up to their tent in silence.

There was nothing else they could do.

* * *

Chapter seven appears! Muahahahaha!

Sorry for the delay (wow, only one week and I'm apologizing. A year or two ago updating in anything under a month would have been impressive) but I promise the entire thing will be finished by Halloween. (Yes, yes I did have a Halloween fic up a while back that was not completed until Valentine's Day, but that was a long time and many fanfictions ago).

So, lot's of emotional characters and mental breakdowns in this chapter. Even Enzan. XD You have no idea how much I was looking forward to writing that. I apologize for the use of language. If anyone thinks I should change the rating, please say so.

And I don't know if anyone noticed, but I tried to make Enzan act a little protective of Netto. I've had a couple requests for Enzan/Netto and I admit to being a huge fan of that pairing myself, but in this story that's as far as I'm going to take their relationship.

So…yeah. This was originally going to be two chapters, but in the end I just didn't have enough material so it combined to form one chapter. Anywho, please review!


	8. Chapter 8

"Netto?" whispered a quiet voice.

"Yeah, Meiru?"

"I can't sleep."

They had returned to their tent, having no other options. Netto and Meiru lay in their sleeping bags, trying to sleep and failing miserably. They could do nothing but stare up at the tent roof and listen with dread to the quiet night sounds of the forest. Every snapping twig, every hooting owl put them on edge.

"Me neither."

Both teens lay still and quiet, having nothing more to say. The silence seemed fragile, as if too much noise could ruin it and erupt into the panic they were dreading.

Outside the tent, Enzan sat at a small fire, crackling peacefully, inconspicuously. If he had the marshmallows out, he could almost pretend it was a real camping trip. As it was, they'd lost the marshmallows somewhere on the hike back up. Not to mention the several missing people.

The blue-eyed boy sighed. He would really rather be curled up, nice and warm in his sleeping bag, but he'd agreed to stay up and keep watch. He sipped quietly on his instant coffee, already cold, but that didn't matter. He was only drinking it for the caffeine anyway.

The night passed quietly, uneventfully.

When morning came, they barely noticed. It was only when Enzan jolted awake to the tiny beeping of the alarm on his watch that he realized it was morning. And that he'd fallen asleep. Suddenly alert, the teenager stood and went to the tent, pulling back the flap to check on his two companions. Both were there, and both had finally succumbed to sleep.

He smiled softly and turned back to get himself some breakfast. And more caffeine.

The other two were awake not long after and the Ijuuin boy, seeing their weary faces, gave a reassuring smile. Or something close to it. Smiles were never really his forte. Netto, at least, seemed to appreciate the gesture anyway. He smiled back, though it was tired and unenthusiastic.

Three people were gone. And probably dead.

Enzan stood, deciding something needed to be done. "We'll pack up our stuff and take it all down to the parking lot. We can leave most of it there and then pack our essentials and the tent and hike the rest of the way back to town. It's a bit of a ways and hopefully we'll find someone who can give us a ride. If not, we'll probably be walking for two days." He sipped his steaming coffee. It tasted like mud.

Meiru and Netto both nodded, both choosing to remain silent. The white haired boy decided to leave them alone. They needed time. But he would start packing. He would do everything he could and mourn later. Besides, none of those three were ever really his friends.

It took two trips, having to carry all of the equipment, their luggage, plus the luggage of their missing friends, but finally it was all down there. They set it next to the empty spot where their van had been.

"I'll take my bag and our tent," Netto volunteered. Meiru silently picked up her bag and their food. That left Enzan with their sleeping bags. He didn't mind. He only wished they were backpacking instead of hefting heavy luggage through the woods.

"This should be all we need," he said. "But I think we should go to the ranger's cabin and look around in case there might be something useful." He nodded in the direction of the cabin, half-way visible through the fog.

"But it's locked, isn't it?" asked Meiru quietly.

Enzan's gaze turned cold. "That won't be a problem." He strode off into the fog. Netto followed soon after.

However, it wasn't the front door that Enzan went to first. He walked around the back and found a small shed. It had a lock, but it was so old and rusting that he had no trouble pulling it off. He yanked the rodding wooden doors open forcefully, with a jerk.

"I thought so," he said triumphantly.

Netto peered over his shoulder hesitantly. The shed was very typical and ordinary, though many of its items had not been used in some years. Moldy and rusted shelves held an array of tools, dusty and smudged with dirt. Netto held back as his friend entered the dark shed and came back out with something in his hands. Something long. Something sharp.

It was an ax.

"This will come in handy, don't you think?" Enzan asked with a slight smirk. He made his way back around the cabin, Netto trailing at his heels, wondering what the older boy was going to do with the ax. He didn't have to wait long to find out.

Enzan did not hesitate as he approached the door. He didn't even try the knob. He merely brought the sharp edge of the tool down hard on the wooden door, it's chopping sound cutting through the silence as surely as it hacked through the door. Within a few minutes, the door had completely fallen from it's hinges and the two stepped inside.

"A phone. Look for a phone," Enzan whispered.

The boys went to opposite sides of the messy and cluttered room. Netto, on the right, was shuffling through piles of things on the small desk, piles of papers, pamphlets, and office supplies. Enzan took the left side, the side with the bed and dresser. He checked the table tops and every surface that could possibly have a phone. Even a two-way radio would have made him happy.

After discovering nothing among the clutter of the dresser top, he reluctantly searched the bed, throwing back the covers and feeling around with his hands. When he began feeling under the pillow, his hand made contact with something hard. He picked up the object and stared at it. A gun. He gripped it, cold steel foreign and unfamiliar in his hand. He glanced back to make sure Netto hadn't seen, and slipped the weapon into his pocket next to the useless weight of his PET.

He turned around to ask Netto if he'd found anything when he saw the brown-haired boy holding a receiver to his ear. In the next moment, he had slammed it back down into it's cradle. "It's dead," he whispered.

Enzan couldn't say he was surprised.

The smaller boy's figure hunched over, trembling slightly. "Why? Why us?"

"Netto," he said to his friend. "I want to tell you something." The smaller boy turned to him. "When we first got here, and we heard a scream that first night, you remember? They told us it was because of a bear."

Netto nodded.

"There are no bears in this forest, Netto."

They didn't say anything as they left, but clomped noisily down the stairs as they made their way out, Meiru's figure visible a few meters away. Enzan picked up the ax again. At Netto's questioning glance he explained, "For self-defence of course."

"Oh… Of course."

When they got back to Meiru, she eyed the ax but said nothing, instead, hefting onto her shoulders the supplies they would need.

"Wait," said Netto. "The bathroom… Maybe we should go before we leave?" he asked uncertainly.

Enzan nodded. "We won't be able to use one for a while. It would probably be a good idea to grab toilet paper too." He looked at his two companions.

Meiru shook her head. "I… don't want to."

The other two didn't say anything but headed towards the small faculities. They pushed open the door. It smelled of something terrible but Enzan merely wrinkled his nose and complained about public restrooms, then went straight to the paper towel dispencer and started taking handfuls of sheets. Netto walked towards the back stall.

Enzan continued pulling paper towels out when he heard a choking noise. Without a second thought, he darted around to find Netto. He was staring wide eyed at something in one of the stalls. The white-haired boy came around behind him, covering the brown eyes with his own hand. He himself took a glance at what was in the stall.

Red. Red. Red. Smeared on the tiled walls, over the white ceramic of the toilet. A very familiar face frozen in an unfamiliar maniacal grin.

He led Netto out and made him take a few deep breaths before returning to Meiru.

When they were together again, she noticed Netto's expression. "Is… is something wrong?"

The boy managed a shaky smile. "The toilets are out of service."

Enzan glanced sideways at his friend. So he could lie when he wanted to.

Meiru nodded quietly and finally they started walking down the dirt road they had come up. Their footsteps made little noise. But the silence was deafening.

They took several breaks throughout the hike. The luggage was hard to carry, afterall. On their third stop, they decided to have lunch. Peanut butter smeared hastily onto wheat bread.

It was too quiet.

"You know," started Netto. "Whenever I eat peanut butter I always want a glass of milk afterwards."

"We didn't bring any, Netto."

"I know," he replied to the older boy. "I was just saying. On a normal day I would have had at least five sandwiches and probably some chips or cookies or something and a really tall glass of milk…"

The blue-eyed boy smirked wryly. "You would have had more than that."

"Hey! Not nice!"

"But true," Meiru said, entering the conversation.

"You two are ganging up on me!"

They laughed quietly. They could almost pretend that…

* * *

"The tent's gone!"

Enzan and Meiru turned to Netto suddenly. They had packed up their food and were about to start walking again when Netto's outburst interrupted their relative peace.

"What do you mean, it's gone?" asked Enzan.

"I set it down right here! It was right next to my bag, but now it's gone!"

Blue eyes scanned the entire area. There was no sign of any other bag. He sighed.

Netto was becoming more and more upset. "Enzan, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! It was right here, I swear it was! I remember putting it down and—"

He was abruptly cut off as Enzan pulled him into a tight hug, quieting the younger boy. "It's fine," was all he said.

They started off again. This time without a tent.

Some time later, it was beginning to grow darker. They kept walking until they could barely see anything in front of them.

Enzan stopped and pulled out two flashlights. He handed one to Netto and clicked on the other for himself. "What do you want to do? We could stop for awhile, try to sleep, or we could keep going."

"I don't think we should stop," whispered Meiru.

"Yeah, let's keep going for a while longer, Enzan," agreed Netto. "At least until we decide we're hungry for dinner or something."

The older boy nodded in consent and they continued walking.

However, it wasn't long until their small bit of peace was disturbed.

The voices again. Giggling, laughing, mocking. It was definitely children's voices. The three stopped and started looking around frantically. There was no discernible source, the sound was simply everywhere, surrounding them.

Meiru covered her ears and started crying. "Please stop!" she screamed. "Whatever you are, go away! Leave us alone!"

If anything, the voices became louder. And then something else.

Shadowy figures, pitch black, the darkness seeming to ooze off of them, appeared among the trees and foliage. They were human shaped but had no actual features. Just blackness. And they began moving closer.

"Run!" shouted Netto.

Enzan waited a moment for one of them to get nearer. Then, suddenly, he swung the ax down on the creature. It sliced clean through, splattering a hot, wet liquid all over the white-haired boy.

Enzan cried out and dropped his weapon. The thing he had hit began vanishing, but it was taking the ax with it. He didn't stay to watch as he began chasing after the brown haired boy.

They took off down the road, abandoning their luggage as they went. But it wasn't until they heard the terrified scream that they realized Meiru had not been following them.

The brown haired boy stopped. "Meiru!" he screamed, alarmed.

He was about to turn back for his friend, but a strong grip on his arm stopped him. "Keep running, you idiot!"

"Enzan, let me go! Meiru's back there! She needs our help!"

"There's nothing we can do for her now, just _run_!"

He reluctantly complied. The two boys dashed off into the night, the flashlight beam bobbing unevenly as they ran. When they couldn't push themselves any farther, they stopped to rest, breathing heavily. They were exhausted, emotionally and physically.

Netto broke down, sobbing. "Meiru… Meiru, I'm sorry!" he cried. Enzan looked over at him sadly and placed a hand comfortingly on his shoulder. The younger boy took that as an invitation and threw himself at the older of the two.

Enzan wrapped his arms around the brown haired boy comfortingly. "I'm sorry, Netto. We'll get out of this. I swear to you, we'll get out of this somehow."

After awhile, Netto stepped back and wiped his eyes. "I guess we should keep walking."

Enzan nodded and they continued on at a brisk pace. His watch read eleven-oh-four.

* * *

And then there were two.

Enzan's so brave, keeping his head like that. I think I would've been more like Meiru. And any guesses as to how Tohru ended up in the bathroom? XD

So, now we know what those things are… sort of. I've decided I want to call them inkies because in my mind they're like walking ink blots. Though that has absolutely no relevance to the story, whatsoever.

And our heroes have many hours to go before morning. Something tells me it's going to be a long night for the two of them. XD

So, a word from my alligator!

Harry: hiss hiss!

That's Please review! in alligator-speak.


	9. Chapter 9

It felt like time was passing so slowly.

The lights on their flashlights were dimming, so now they were only using one, to conserve energy. They trudged along tiredly, too tired to walk, but too scared to stop. It was like that for hours.

At just past three, the voices appeared again.

"Enzan…" Netto wimpered.

The Ijuuin boy grabbed the hand of the younger and pulled him along, trying to ignore the sounds as best they could. It seemed to work.

The voices grew louder and sometimes even a word or two amongst the laughter could be made out. Things such as "kill" and "feed" were what stood out to him most. But soon they died out and Enzan, relieved, let out a sigh.

But it was too soon for that.

Just ahead of them, four figures stood. It was too dark to make them out.

"They may be dangerous, but they seem to be slow," whispered Enzan. His grip on Netto's hand tightened. "When I count to three, we're going to run past them."

Netto nodded slightly. The white-haired boy caught it out of the corner of his eye.

"Ready…one…"

The figures lurched closer, stumbling, and halting in their steps.

"…two…"

Enzan suddenly recognized two of the monsters, leaving him able to figure out who the other two were by default. Before Netto could notice them, however, he shouted out the last number.

"…three!"

They made a mad dash, sprinting into the gap right in the middle of them. Enzan made it past but he heard Netto cry out behind him. He grimaced and kept running. There was no time to stop and check to make sure he was okay, but the brown-haired boy continued running behind him so he had to assume that whatever had happened wasn't serious.

They ran for a long while. Even when they were sure they were past the monsters, they kept running. It wasn't until Netto stumbled and fell that Enzan stopped. Both boys were breathing heavily, their breath making little puffs of steam in the cool night air.

Netto was holding his left arm, blood oozing down it and through his fingers. There was a long gash running from his shoulder to his elbow.

"Dammit," Enzan swore, ripping off his own sleeve and using it as a makeshift bandage to wrap around the bleeding wound.

"Meiru," gasped Netto with a small sob. "…with the ax. It was Meiru with the ax!" He let out a choked gasp, obviously trying to hold his tears at bay and failing miserably.

"Netto," Enzan whispered sadly. "I'm sorry. But we have to keep going."

The brown haired boy nodded and stood, not bothering to brush himself off. He was covered in dirt and grime no matter what he did.

They kept going, and for another hour they had some peace. They had made it already to the paved road that would lead them to town, though there were no cars and obviously wouldn't be for quite some time. This area was out of the way of everything else. Though Enzan knew it was only a matter of time before the creatures appeared again. Or rather, their friends…

Sure enough, Netto soon halted in his tired footsteps and was gazing off into the fog. Enzan followed his gaze. The fog cleared a little for a brief moment and they were able to get their first good glimpse of what was chasing them.

Just ahead were their friends, Tohru and Yaito. Or what was left of them. Yaito's body had begun to decay, her skin peeling and rotting. Several large gashes were sliced across her shoulders, abdomen, legs, and probably her back as well. Clumps of dried and flaking blood fell from her body every time she moved. When she did move it was in slow, jerky motions, like a broken doll. Beside her, Tohru had only one large gash that ran from his neck to his stomach. His head was halfway decapitated and one of his arms was missing. The arm he did still possess was holding Yaito's hand.

Netto took a step back, but a sound from behind made him freeze. He turned slowly, as if in slow motion.

Behind them, Dekao's mutilated body, barely standing, was beside Meiru, the most intact one of the four. She looked almost like the Meiru he knew, but… half of her chest was missing. And her face… it was Meiru's face but it wasn't. While it still looked like her face, it simply _wasn't_. In her hand she still had the ax.

They were trapped. The only way around them was…

"The woods!" shouted Enzan. The two boys started running and their four friends, seemingly faster now, jerked after them. They got a good lead, but they couldn't keep it up for long.

Suddenly they stopped and leaned against a tree, gasping for breath once again.

"Netto." The brown haired boy looked up at his companion. Enzan had pulled from his pocket the pistol he'd gotten from the ranger's station. Netto's eyes widened in shock.

Enzan undid the safety. It clicked resolutely in the quiet of the seemingly peaceful forest. But they both knew now it was only a matter of time…

"It's almost morning. They don't seem to come out in the morning." Netto nodded. "I want you to run to the town. We should be very close to it by now."

"What about y—"

"I'll stay back and buy you some time."

Brown eyes widened. "Enzan, no!"

But the other nodded, already having come to this decision. "It's obvious now if one of us is going to make it out alive…" He stood quietly for a moment, contemplating. Or perhaps he was gathering his courage.

Either way, it didn't matter. A rotting arm suddenly made its way into his line of vision and grabbed at his shoulder. He moved out of its way quickly as Yaito and Tohru came stumbling around the tree.

"Netto, run! Run now!"

"But—"

"_Now_!"

The brown haired boy ran off in the direction of the road just as Dekao and Meiru arrived.

"Alright, you bastards, it's time to get your just rewards!" He shot off one bullet. Two. The sound echoed into the night.

It didn't stop them. They continued stumbling towards him.

Enzan started laughing. "Nothing works! Haha… Hahahaha! That's just my luck, huh?"

He stopped and his eyes turned steely. Meiru swung the ax down and he tried to dodge, but it sliced clean through his shirt and tore open his side. He stared at the gaping wound for a moment. Then, with a cry, he shot off the entire round into the creatures. "_Fuck you all to hell!!!_"

This time, they fell, twitching on the ground.

Enzan fell back against a nearby tree, landing heavily in the dirt. His wound bled profusely and he tried to stop it by applying pressure, pressing his hand to it. it continued to bleed.

He sighed and sat back in the dark fog. A slight glow from the east told him the sun was probably rising. He couldn't know for sure; his watch had gotten lost somewhere between the dirt road and their "detour" through the forest.

"You better get out of here alive, Netto." He closed his eyes for some well-deserved sleep.

* * *

Two men, one with a large belly and the other so thin he had to be anorexic, sat in a car that was driving down along the road. According to their badges, they were the local police officers. Morning light filtered through their windshield, the fog having dispersed earlier that morning.

"So, there was a kid a while back saying his friend had gone missing… But you didn't believe him."

"Yeah. It was just some teenager, probably fooling around. But we haven't had any word from the rangers for awhile, so we figured we'd come check it out anyway."

The one with the belly nodded. "Good idea."

Suddenly, the skinny one who was driving slammed on the breaks. "Holy shit!"

There was a boy, lying on the side of the road, half of his body covered in blood.

The two got out of the vehicle. "Hey kid! Kid! Are you okay?" They leaned over his dirty and damaged body.

He opened his brown eyes slowly and hazily. "They're all… dead…" he whispered. But he'd made it, the only survivor.

* * *

Thaaaaat's it! (applauds self)

I wonder what happened, though, there was going to be, like, two more chapters… I don't know, it just didn't happen. This might be one of my longest stories yet! Oh, wait, Blood Lust had how many words…? Well, they're close.

And how's that for a cliffhanger? Enzan, the possible survivor. It all depends on how you want to interpret "sleep" I suppose. And if they find him before it's too late. Either way, I think Netto's gonna need to go through some major therapy.

So yes! Just one more story in which I kill off characters! It's a bad habit, I swear… Anywayz, I hope y'all enjoyed it. Thanks so much to my wonderful reviewers, Atreyu the Slayer, Serenade of Light, Marshmellow Dragon, lightningstar-Icy, and Silvera. They kept the story (and this category) alive. Bow down before them!

AND MAY ALL OF YOU HAVE A HAPPY HALLOWEEN/SAMHAIN/WHATEVER IT IS YOU MAY CELEBRATE!!!

Please review!


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